The World Economic Forum today announced 39 visionary companies selected as Technology Pioneers 2008. SiGNa Chemistry has been selected as one of these Technology Pioneers. The Technology Pioneers 2008 were nominated by the world's leading technology experts, including venture capitalists, technology companies, academics and media. The final selection from 273 nominees was made by a panel of leading technology experts appointed by the World Economic Forum. Technology Pioneers 2008 are invited to participate in the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2008 that will be held in Davos, Switzerland, from 23-27 January and in the Annual Meeting of the New Champions that will be held in Tianjin, People's Republic of China from 25-27 September 2008.

SiGNa Chemistry has developed a suite of transformational green chemistry materials based on the company's proprietary technology for nano-scale encapsulation of reactive metals. The powdered reactive metals drive improvements in safety, efficiency, and environmental sustainability across fundamental manufacturing processes in the pharmaceutical, petrochemical, and general synthesis industries. Additionally, the stable powders enable emerging clean technologies and processes including environmental remediation and fuel cells for which they produce record levels of pure hydrogen gas at room temperature. SiGNa Chemistry's innovation represents the most significant advancement in reactive metal processing in more than a century.

"James L. Dye, a distinguished member of the National Academy of Sciences, and I founded SiGNa Chemistry with the express mission of transforming reactive metals from a lab hazard into a safe part of global industry's clean chemistry toolkit. The World Economic Forum's recognition of that vision and value is truly an honor," said Michael Lefenfeld, president and CEO of SiGNa Chemistry. "The needs that our materials address are global in scale: energy, the environment and human health. This forum affords an invaluable opportunity to engage in the worldwide community of thought leaders and market visionaries that affect real change on that scale."

Technology Pioneers are companies that have been identified as developing and applying highly transformational and innovative technologies in the areas of energy, biotechnology and health, and information technology. To be selected as a Technology Pioneer, a company must be involved in the development of life-changing technology innovation and have the potential for long-term impact on business and society. In addition, it must demonstrate visionary leadership, show all the signs of being a long-standing market leader - and its technology must be proven. Previous Technology Pioneers have included Business Objects, Cambridge Silicon Radio, Corel Corporation, Encore Software, Google, Mozilla Corporation and Napster.

Twenty-three of the Technology Pioneers 2008 are US-based companies. Israel and the United Kingdom each boast three; Sweden and Switzerland two each; Canada, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands and Russia, one each. Technology Pioneers are nominated in three main categories: Energy/Environment, Biotechnology/Health and Information Technology.

"This year the World Economic Forum received a record number of applications from companies around the world to become a Technology Pioneer. From a highly competitive field, we are extremely pleased to have a community that is using innovation and technology to dramatically affect the way society and business operate and doing so in a markedly collaborative manner. We are excited to welcome the Technology Pioneers class of 2008 to the larger community of the World Economic Forum and we are looking forward to the fruits that their collaboration will bring," said Peter Torreele, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum.

The selection criteria include:1)

Innovation. The company's technology must be truly innovative. A new version or repackaging of an already well-accepted technological solution does not qualify as an innovation. The innovation should be recent -- not more than two years old. The company should invest significantly in R&D.2)

Potential Impact. The company's technology must have the potential to have a substantial long-term impact on business and society in the future.3)

Growth and Sustainability. The company should have all the signs of being a long-term market leader and should have well-formulated plans for future development and growth.4)

Proof of Concept. The company must have a product on the market or have proven practical applications of the technology. Companies in "stealth" mode and companies with untested ideas or models will not qualify.5)

Leadership. The company must have visionary leadership that plays a critical role in driving the company towards reaching its goals.6)

Status. The company must not currently be a Member of the World Economic Forum. This criterion applies to the parent company -- thus wholly-owned subsidiaries of large firms are not eligible.

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About SiGNa Chemistry SiGNa Chemistry, Inc., an advanced materials company, has developed a green nanotechnology-based solution that makes reactive metals far more efficient, safer, and cost effective. Reactive metals are fundamental components used for general synthesis in the pharmaceutical, petrochemical, specialty chemical and environmental remediation industries. It also has the potential to enable portable fuel cells to become practical by safely producing record levels of pure hydrogen gas from a safe, stable dry powder at room temperature. In all of these ventures, the use of reactive metals, such as alkali metals, is currently curtailed or avoided all together due to their high degree of instability, which makes them difficult and expensive to handle. SiGNa’s products have solved the problems of safety and cost efficiency, representing the most substantial scientific breakthrough in reactive metals in over 100 years. For more information, visit: http://www.signachem.com .

About the World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

Incorporated as a foundation in 1971, and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit; it is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. ( http://www.weforum.org ).